The Ministry of Education, via a press statement issued this morning, has made it clear that no student should be denied registration to any school due to his/her inability to pay.
The statement noted that the Parent Teachers Association for each school has been authorised to conduct fundraising activities to support school administration to offset non-budgetary costs, adding that such activities must be promoted to strengthen the partnership between schools and the community.
In cases where such fundraising activities do not generate the level of income needed to cover the non-budgetary costs, the ministry has set a maximum limit for school registration fees which schools are expected to follow.
The following is the full statement issued by the ministry:
The Ministry of Education has noted with concern that some School Administrators have been requesting significant sums of money for the registration of new students to Nursery, Primary and Secondary Schools under the pretext that such sums were previously agreed upon by the Parent Teachers Association.
The Ministry has given great consideration to the needs of schools and wish to provide the following guidelines for Non-Budgetary Costs.
- No students shall be denied Registration to any school due to their inability to pay; children have a right to schooling and must be registered.
- The Parent Teachers Association for each school has been authorised to conduct fundraising activities to support school administration to offset non-budgetary costs. (Badges, PTA dues, Report Booklets, Miscellaneous). Such activities must be promoted to strengthen the partnership between schools and the community.
- If the activities planned and executed by the Parent Teachers Association do not generate the income to offset non-budgetary costs, then the following guidelines should be followed:
- a)For All Nursery Schools – not more than $2,500.00/year
- b)For All Primary Schools – not more than $3,000.00/year
- c)For Secondary Schools – not more than $5,000.00/year
- d)For National Secondary Schools – not more than $8,000.00/year
(Queen’s College, The Bishops’ High, St. Stanislaus College, St. Rose’s and St. Joseph)
These sums were carefully considered for all non-budgetary costs as such NO ADDITIONAL request must be made from parents. There must be no compulsion for students to purchase P.E. clothes, aprons for Home Economics, Lab Coats, Tie-pin inter alia; from the school. Parents of nursery children should not be issued with any list of supplies to be purchased.
